Two years ago today, I made a Sweet Potato Casserole, typed up the recipe, and nervously shared it with the world (or, more accurately, the 20 friends who visited this site that day!). That’s right, readers, today is Striped Spatula’s 2nd Blogoversary, and I couldn’t be more excited to celebrate this milestone with all of you!

Those who have been with me from the beginning know that November 24th is “Sweet Potato Day” here on the blog (since I started with a sweet potato recipe, I’ve made it a yearly tradition).

Last year, I stuck a candle in Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Biscuits and today, I’ve made us dessert. Who’s up for a slice of Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie with toasted marshmallow crème swirls?

To say that the past two years have flown by is an understatement. I’ve looked back at my earliest posts and it’s both humbling and gratifying to see how much I’ve learned and how far this site has come. (For fun last week, I re-photographed my first recipe and couldn’t believe the difference that two years and photography lessons have made!)

Still, some things have never changed since my first post. I still get butterflies in my stomach every time I publish a new recipe. Every comment I receive on this site from a reader makes me as excited as the first.

And, I still haven’t learned my lesson about wearing prints and bold colors when photographing against reflective surfaces. (I can’t tell you how many serving spoons I’ve had to Photoshop myself out of this year.) Maybe I’ll get that right by the time Striped Spatula turns 3!

Let’s talk about Sweet Potato Pie. Growing up in New Jersey, pumpkin pie was the tradition for our Thanksgiving table. While away at college in Virginia, I inadvertently picked up a sweet potato pie at the grocery store near my campus (this “Yankee” was in a rush and assumed the orange-colored pie was pumpkin).

When I got back to my apartment and my friends and I cut into it, I realized that it was really a Sweet Potato Custard Pie. I instantly fell in love. The filling was so rich, smooth, and delicately spiced. We Northerners had been missing out!

The Bourbon Sweet Potato Pie I’m sharing with you today is my all-time favorite, and an adaptation from Cooks Country. The addition of sour cream to the filling balances the pie’s sweetness with a nice tang, while cinnamon, nutmeg, and Bourbon give it a warm, rounded finish.

I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit to include browned butter (I think the nutty flavor plays so well with the sweet potatoes and bourbon) and a fun, albeit optional, toasted marshmallow topping.

Making marshmallow crème at home isn’t a terribly difficult process with a stand mixer, though it does need to be piped onto the pie and toasted just before serving. This pie is just as good served with lightly-sweetened whipped cream if the toasted marshmallows are too sweet for your personal preferences, or inconvenient to your holiday entertaining schedule.

As always, I couldn’t write a blogoversary post without thanking all of you, my readers and friends, for your support of Striped Spatula. I pinch myself every day when I wake up and realize that I get to do something I love so much for my business, and this wouldn’t be possible without all of you.

This journey has been an incredible one so far, and I can’t wait to spend another year learning this craft and celebrating our shared love of cooking and food together. Grab a fork! It’s pie time!

Instructions

Par-bake the crust

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F with rack in center position. Roll your prepared dough disk to a 12-13 inch circle. Fold the dough into quarters and gently fit it into a 9-inch pie plate without stretching the dough. Trim dough to a 1/2-inch overhang and tuck to make a double-thick edge flush with the circumference of the plate. Flute or crimp the tucked edge. Refrigerate (30 minutes) or freeze (15 minutes) until dough is chilled and firm.

Line pie plate with two large squares of parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until edges are light golden, about 18 minutes. Gather edges of parchment or foil and remove weights (be careful; they'll be very hot) and continue baking crust until the bottom starts to look opaque, about 3-5 minutes. Let crust cool completely on a wire rack.

Make and bake the pie

Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F.

While the crust is baking, pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork to create steam holes. Place potatoes on a microwave-safe plate and cook on HIGH for 15 minutes, or until fully cooked. Turn over every 5 minutes, checking for doneness. When potatoes are soft, immediately cut in half lengthwise and let sit at room temperature until cool enough to handle.

While potatoes are cooling, place butter in a small skillet. Melt, over medium heat, until foaming subsides and solids are a light golden brown (watch carefully!). Remove from heat, let stand a few minutes, and then stir in cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Use a spoon to scoop sweet potatoes from their skins and transfer to the bowl of a food processor (discard skins). Add light brown sugar, salt, and browned butter/spice mixture. Process until smooth. Scrape bowl and add sour cream, whole eggs and yolks, vanilla, and bourbon. Process until fully combined.

Pour sweet potato mixture into the cooled pie crust. Bake until edges are firm but center still jiggles slightly, about 35 minutes. Center of pie should register 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Watch carefully, as overcooked pies will be prone to cracking and will not have as silky a texture. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely.

Optional: place marshmallow crème in a piping bag and decorate the top of the cooled pie just before serving. To toast, use a kitchen torch, or broil pie in the oven until marshmallow crème is golden brown. (If broiling, cover pie edges with a foil collar so they don't burn.) Slice and serve.

Recipe Notes

A topping of toasted homemade marshmallow crème is a sweet, fun, and impressive way to serve this silky Sweet Potato Pie. For best results, it should be piped and toasted just before serving. For an alternative presentation, pipe the pie with lightly-sweetened whipped cream, or serve slices with a dollop on the side.

Have you made this recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below! Don’t forget to take a picture and tag @stripedspatula and #stripedspatula on Instagram for a chance to be featured in my newsletter!